CME June 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs tumble on profit-taking

Rising feed costs pressure cattle futures

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended down sharply on Wednesday in a profit-taking setback following seven sessions of gains that took actively-traded nearby months to contract highs. A bearish U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cold storage report on Tuesday showed larger frozen pork supplies, including a 17 per cent month-over-month […] Read more



Coyotes feed on rats, mice, voles, pocket gophers, ground squirrels, rabbits, geese, ducks, groundhogs, deer, wild boar, raccoons and other crop-damaging fauna, including grasshoppers and cutworms. Coyotes will also eat apples, berries, carrots and other vegetables.

The coyote conundrum continues

The coyote is guilty of livestock predation, but how does this cost compare with farm crop value gains?

When I lived in rural Alberta in the 1970s, I knew more than a few farmers and acreage owners who supplemented their incomes, sometimes substantially, with coyote pelts. The price for good pelts at that time was up to $100 or more. Today, with the advent of synthetic furs and an anti-wild-animal-product public atmosphere, coyote […] Read more

CME June 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and dark red lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs rise again on tight supplies

Rough weather on Plains supports live cattle futures

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed to fresh highs on Tuesday in a seventh straight session of gains, lifted by strong domestic demand and tight supplies of hogs. Broader commodities market gains added support to hogs as concerns about a Russian invasion of Ukraine hammered equities markets and fueled worries […] Read more


Programs are in place that will reward Western Canadian grazers for  their efforts in carbon sequestration and/or for not converting fragile grassland to annual cropping or some other use.

Multi-paddock grazing offers AMPed up carbon opportunities

New programs are geared toward rewarding livestock producers for carbon sequestration efforts

Looking back at a Grainews from last winter, I read a line I wrote saying that the options for cattle producers to take advantage of carbon markets are currently limited. This is still largely true, but a lot sure has changed in the past year, which has seen the release of new programs geared towards […] Read more

Central Alberta beef producers, Andy Rainforth and his wife Shannon and son Caed have worked to improve beef genetics as well as forage and pasture management over the years as they work toward a year-round grazing system.


Producer closing in on year-round grazing

It’s an ongoing process of learning what works and doesn't work as growing conditions change

Andy Rainforth and his wife Shannon and young son Caed farm near Lacombe in central Alberta not far from where Andy grew up. They raise Angus cattle and various crops. They have been on a journey over the past dozen years or more to develop a more efficient beef herd as well as a more […] Read more



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Flooding in Manitoba hinges on coming spring melt

MarketsFarm — Manitoba’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre (HFC) released an initial spring flood outlook report Friday citing the risk of moderate to major flooding in most the province’s southern basins. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk said the amount of flooding will depend on weather conditions from now until spring melt. The HFC advised that, while […] Read more


CME April 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures extend rally to six days

April live cattle down on day

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rose for the sixth straight session on Friday, with the market underpinned by strong domestic demand and tight supplies as slaughter numbers lagged well behind the 2021 pace. Traders also noted technical buying helped accelerate the gains. April lean hog futures gained 1.825 cents to 109.4 […] Read more

CME April 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and CME lean hog index (dark red line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures hit six-month high on strong cash markets

April live cattle end lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rose 2.1 per cent on Thursday, with the front-month contract hitting its highest in six months on strength in the cash market, traders said. April lean hog futures gained 2.175 cents, to 107.575 cents/lb., hitting a new contract high and briefly topping the high end of […] Read more